Scarborough Cricket Club have set up this section to pay tribute to former members, players, and supporters of the club. This is a lasting memory to loved ones and friends who have supported and given so much to a very grateful club. 

This has been started in 2020, but we would really welcome brief biographies from relatives of those who passed prior to this year. If you'd like to contribute, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

We've names this section 'absent friends', and see it as a way to pay our respects to those who were friends to this great club.

Chris Welford (July 2020). Chris was a regular at North Marine Road to both county and club matches. He had been a Life Member for some time, and was well regarded by all those who knew him.

John Parkinson (April 2020). John Parkinson had been a life member of SCC for many years. I (daughter Katie) have many happy memories of meeting him for picnic teas at North Marine Road towards the end of the day's play in the late 60s/early 70s.

Eileen Tune (May 2020). Eileen passed away in May.  She was a member of SCC for over 20 years, I believe (son Chris). It was only the reduction of her mobility in 2018 that prevented her extending her membership. Her last day at North Marine Road was on the 25th June 2018 versus Surrey on a warm glorious day. Mum had some wonderful days the club, in all sorts of weather and enjoyed some great cricket and made some great friends. If you could mention her passing in any obituaries or newsletters then that way, people can be informed.

Bill Pincher (September 2019). William Leslie Pincher and first came to North Marine Road in 1971 at the same time as Phil Hart. He was known as either Pinch or Bill or Billy. Hard hitting batsman and right arm fast medium - deceptively fast off an innocuous and shortish run up.

He played in the first final at Lord's in 1972, and was the bowler when Colin Oxtoby caught and stumped the batsman off the same ball and each umpire had a finger raised!!! Following a spell with Saltburn Cricket Club he returned to North Marine Road as groundsman and played in the in the last Final at Lord's in 1982 when he scored 61 in a low scoring game including a huge six into the seats!

Bill was married to Sue and they had two girls Sarah and Vicky. For a period of time he lived in the groundsman’s flat which was situated above the former shop where the Jack Knowles building now stands at the main entrance into the ground.

Club Board member and former team-mate Nick Tubbs said ’’I remember a powerful and destructive batsman who could change a game in a few overs and often did. I think Harty would tell you that Pinch hit the biggest six he ever saw at Halifax CC; I recall the huge hit at Lord's in 1982 and also a hundred vs Doncaster Town in no time at all when up until his explosive innings SCC were progressing sedately and at risk of not setting a challenging score. As a bowler he was deceptively sharp off a short run and very good at the death when it was tight’’.

Madame Eleanor Mankowska (July 2020). Eleanor Mankowska passed away on her 101st birthday. She had been a Life member of Scarborough Cricket Club since 1944. Her father, Alderman Francis Whittaker, was club President on four separate occasions with her brother Sir Meredith Whittaker also being President when he held the post in 1978.

Stephen Gambrill (2020). Stephen became a member of Scarborough Cricket Club in 1992.

RD Gaunt (2020). Mr Gaunt had been a valued life member of the club.

MW Harrison (2020). Mr Harrison joined Scarborough Cricket Club in 1990.

Mrs V Sadler (2020). Mrs Sadler had been a life member of the club since 1992

Michael Bayes (2020). Michael became a Senior member of Scarborough Cricket Club in 1975

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE CLUB

www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk

 Scarborough CC 1st XI - 2018

Scarborough CC 2nd XI - 2018

Scarborough CC 3rd XI - 2018

If you're a cricketer new to the area and looking for a club, or just someone who wants to play cricket, whether you're a junior or senior you'll be welcome at Scarborough Cricket Club. Our teams cover all standards from starters to premier league players (and everyone in between!) - all are very welcome.

We currently run 3 senior XI's, and several junior XI's. Our 1st XI compete in ECB Yorkshire Premier League North, whilst the 2nd XI are in Ebor D2 of the York & District Senior Cricket League. All the junior sides compete in the Derwent valley Junior Cricket League. 

At the moment we are putting plans together to facilitate women & girls cricket, and are looking for people to help us run this superb initiative.

If you want to join us please contact any of the officials below:

1st XI Captain - Pat Roberts 07957 775495  Email: pmrroberts@btinternet.com  

2nd XI Captain - Mark Cowell 07852 963669 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Also, please feel free to call and see us at the ground.

Patron - The Worshipfull The Mayor of the Borough of Scarborough 

President - Philip Hodson

Chairman - Paul Harrand

Honorary Life Members

H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, K.G. K.T

Mr. C.B. Snell

Mrs. N. Midgley

Mr. J. Midgley

Mr. C. White

Vice Presidents

Mr. K. C. McCabe

Sir Tim Rice

Mr K. P. Grace

The Rt. Hon. Lord Shaw of Northstead, D.L

Dr. H. D. Bird, O.B.E., M.B.E., Hon.D(Univ), LL.D.

Mr. J.W.T. Mustoe

Mr. A. Hadfield

Hon. Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough Mr. T. J. Boyes

Mr. A. J. Moor

Mr. C. C. Clifford

Sir Michael Parkinson, C.B.E

Sir Rodney Walker

Hon. Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough Mr. D. Robinson

Mr. R. A. Smith, T.D., LL.B., D.L.

Mr. J. M. Smith

Sir Lawrence Byford, C.B.E, Q.P.M., LL.D

Mr. P. R. Hart

Mr. H. Gration MBE

Mr. D. Byas

Mr. J. Guthrie

Mr CJ Graves

Management Board Members

Paul Harrand, Rob Richtering, Bill Mustoe, Derek Saul, David Ryder, Neil Duell, Nick Tubbs, Guy Emmett, Kenelm Storey

Honorary Chaplain

Rev John Wells - Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Mobile: 07812 707628

Players and potential players of all ages, abilities and gender are welcome at Scarborough Cricket Club. We run three senior teams, and junior sides at all age groups as well as a senior evening league XI

1st XI - ECB Yorkshire Premier League North

2nd XI - York & District Senior Cricket League

3rd XI - Scarborough Beckett Cricket League

The evening league XI compete in the Scarborough & District Evening Cricket League

All Junior teams play in the Derwent Valley Junior Cricket League

We have a number of qualified coaches, and are always looking to fund additional potential coaches through coach education. New coaches are always welcome, and especially those looking to become junior coaches. We're currently working with the Yorkshire Cricket Board to expand opportunities for women & girls to play cricket, and for coaches to become involved in this area of the game.

If you're interested in joining us, or for further information, please contact:

 (1st XI Captain) - Pat Roberts 07957 775495

(2nd XI Captain) - Mark Cowell 07852 963669

(3rd XI Captain) - James Denton

ECB Yorkshire Premier League North: http://ypln.play-cricket.com

York & District Senior Cricket League: http://ypln.play-cricket.com

Scarborough Beckett League: http://www.cricket-league.org.uk

Yorkshire County Cricket Club: https://yorkshireccc.com

Yorkshire Cricket Board: http://www.yorkshirecb.com

 Click Here For Fixtures & Results

The years following Tom Pearce had to rely more and more on sponsorship and big names to attract the crowds.

The Club was particularly grateful for sponsorship from Asda Stores, Scarborough Building Society, Tesco Stores, Wards, White Horse ,Northern Electric and Tetleys. McCains and Boyes Stores were local companies who both became significant sponsors.

The sponsorship was added to by contributions from big names such as Brian Close, Michael Parkinson and Tim Rice. In the spirit of the Festival teams took the field as: The D.B.Close XI who played during the 80’s against International Touring sides; Michael Parkinsons World XI who played MCC in 1988 and 1989 and India in 1990 and Tim Rice’s XI v Yorkshire in 1998.

More recently the Festival is a week of Yorkshire Cricket which usually consists of a four day Championship match and a one day fixture, but it is put on in a festival atmosphere with marquee and band music, in the intervals these days, to produce a relaxed holiday feeling of Cricket by the sea.

The festival is still thriving, attendances in 2011 were excellent and August 2012 will see the 126th Festival.

Thomas Neill Pearce (Tom Pearce) was born in November 1905 and died in April 1994.

He played cricket for Essex and was captain of Essex from 1933 until 1950 when he retired from first class cricket. He was also an International Rugby Union Referee.

On retirement from playing first class cricket he was made an England Test Selector a job which he held for many years.

At Essex he progressed from Club Secretary to Club Chairman and then President.

He managed the MCC tour of India, Ceylon and Pakistan in the winter of 1961/1962.

During his period in charge at the Scarborough Festival there was no falling away in interest either from the players or the spectators and all matches continued to have first class status.

There were many wonderful Tom Pierce sides against the Indians, Australia, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa.

In 1963 the distinction between Gentlemen and players was finally removed and the Festival lost one of its regular matches.

The first sponsored match took place in 1965 when an England XI played a World XI and the World XI was sponsored by Rothmans of Pall Mall.

Yorkshire as always continued to support the Festival in the regular Yorkshire v MCC fixture.

In 1970 JH Fenner of Hull agreed to sponsor a 60 over knock out competition which became The Fenner Trophy played over three days and with the three trophy winners of the year versus Yorkshire. It was very successful financially but the MCC fixture had to make way. When Tom retired from being Festival Organiser in 1981 he had been only the third Organiser since the Festival was first played in 1876.

Shrimp H.D.G. Leveson-Gower had already been involved at the Festival for several years before 1929 when he took over responsibility for organising the matches.

He was born at Limpsfield Surrey in May 1873, attended Winchester College and Oxford University where he was awarded a blue for cricket and played for Oxford from 1983 until 1986 when he was captain. He played for Surrey, being captain from 1908 till 1910, and the Gentlemen plus MCC.

His association with Scarborough lasted until 1950, he was made a Freeman of Scarborough in 1930.

Leveson- Gowers XI v the Tourists XI was always the highlight of the Festival between the wars and the Australians as now was the team everyone wanted to see. The Australians were beaten in 1938 and this had a definite effect in 1948 when Bradman as captain requested Levison- Gower to restrict his XI to not more than six current England players to prevent the fixture becoming a sixth test at the end of a long tour.

For many years he was a member of the MCC committee and in 1909 he became a member of the Test Team selection committee , of which he was chairman in 1924 and from 1928 to 1930.

Leveson-Gowers successor was T.N. Pearce.

Charles Inglis Thornton was born in March 1850 at Llanwarne in Herefordshire and died in December 1929 in Marylebone.

He was a right hand bat and right arm fast underarm bowler. He played for Cambridge( captain 1872), Kent, Middlesex and MCC from 1869 until 1895.

His reputation was that of a big hitter having been recorded as hitting the ball 168 yards in practice at Brighton.

As a guest of Lord Londesborough he was a frequent visitor to Scarborough which was a very fashionable Spa town and holiday resort.

In 1871 Thornton was asked by Lord Londesborough to raise a side to play against Lord Londesboroughs XI (effectively the Yorkshire first XI)which he did so from mainly MCC players and it was known as The Scarborough Visitors XI.

The game was played at Castle Hill and was a great success.

Following the levelling and improvement of North Marine Road Thornton was again asked to put together a side, this time a formal MCC XI to play against Yorkshire in 1875. Rain spoiled the day but the match was repeated the following year 1876, again with Thornton organising, and was the first Scarborough Festival as other matches had also been arranged around it.

From then on until his death in 1929 he continued to organise The Scarborough Festival.

Along the way he personally scored 107 in 29 hits for The Gentlemen of England v I Zingari in 1886 (including his big hit) and managed the C.I.Thorntons XI which beat the full Australian side of 1921.

He was awarded the freedom of the Borough of Scarborough in 1921.

(Born 7th September 1871, died 10th May 1954)

There have been many very good Yorkshire players who have been Scarborough players, David Byas, Brian Close, David Hunter, Ted Lester, John Tunnicliffe, Vic Wilson and more but probably the best known, certainly in his time was George Hirst.

He was born in Kirheaton near Huddersfield, the same village where Wilfred Rhodes was born six years later in 1877.

It is said that he discovered a method to make the ball swing, known as swerve in those days.

As a left arm medium pace bowler and right hand batsman his first class playing career for Yorkshire and England was from 1891 until 1929 and his achievements during his playing life were outstanding.

He played 826 matches and scored 36,356 runs at an average 34.13. His highest score was 341 which he made in 1905 and still remains a record for Yorkshire. He made 100 runs 60 times.

He took 2,742 wickets at an average of 18.73 and five wickets on 184 occasions.

He held 605 catches and did the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season 14 times.

He also has a unique record of being the only player to score 2,000 runs and take 200 wickets in one season which was 1906.

In 1919 he was appointed coach to Eton College but still played for Yorkshire when he could. By 1921 he decided to retire from first class cricket and did so from the balcony of Scarborough Cricket Club where he had captained The Players v the Gentlemen in the Festival.

He did play occasional games for Yorkshire even as late as 1929 however he began to play for Scarborough from 1923 onwards.

His coaching at Eton went on until 1938 however the short summer terms allowed him to play for Scarborough in July and August which he did for seven seasons. During his time at Scarborough he played a full role in coaching, in some of his years alongside David Hunter.

Playing for Scarborough in League matches during those seven seasons he scored 2,682 runs at an average of 58.3, in 1926 his average was 117.2 and in 1928 at 58 years old his average was 108 with a top score of 124.

His bowling was equally impressive taking 182 wickets at an average of 13.1 including in 1924 when he took 45 wickets at an average of 8.00 with a strike rate of one wicket every four overs.

A truly great player who played for Scarborough.

Over all the Years since 1849 there have been many outstanding cricketers who have played for the Club. Records of early players are not complete but there are much better records of players since The War. The excellent book by Ian Hall and John Found listed records of players who have represented the Club after World War II and included in that figures from between the Wars where a player played before and after World War II( indicated by an asterisk).

Players who scored more than 5000 runs for Scarborough

The Figures were collected in 1992.

Players who have taken more than 500 wickets

The figures were collected in 1992

In 1969 a national Club Knock-Out competition was established, sponsored by The Cricketer Magazine. The Clubs were to play for the Derrick Robins Trophy and the final was to be played at Edgebaston.

The Scarborough Club were keen to enter and did so in the first year only to be knocked out in the first round, by Pocklington Pixies, on the toss of a coin due to bad weather preventing the fixture being played by the necessary date. Pocklington Pixies, a team drawn from past pupils at Pocklington School, went all the way to the final only to be beaten by Hampstead.

In 1970 it was decided that from then onwards the final would be played at Lords. In 1970 and 1971 Scarborough progressed to the fourth round and semi- final respectively and in 1972, the last year of Geoff Dennis’s captaincy, they progressed all the way to Lord’s to meet Brentham CC in the Final. The Trophy was brought back to Scarborough in style with a six wicket win.

The Derrick Robins Trophy was contended for another three years with York winning it in 1975.

In 1976 John Haig the whiskey company became sponsors of the competition which was renamed The Haig Trophy. In the seven years of the Haig Trophy Scarborough were winners on four occasions and semi-finalists in another year.

The first of the four wins was in the first year 1976, the next 1979 and then in the last two years 1981 and 1982.

Scarborough Cricket Clubs’ Five wins is more than any other Club in the National Club Knock out.

Old Hill from Worcestershire has four wins and several others multiple wins but over the forty two years the competition has been played no one has equalled Scarborough’s five.

Other Clubs to have won from the Yorkshire Premier League are York, Doncaster and Sheffield Collegiate.

After taking the tenancy in 1863, the field where early matches were played was enlarged and levelled during the winter of 1871-1872 although the club did not own the land until 1877.

Backed by Lord Londesborough and Lord Derwent £7,000 was raised to purchase the Ground and make substantial improvements and at the same time the Club sold a strip of land bordering North Marine Road for building.

The present day Pavilion was built in 1896, at a cost of £2,150, on the site of the Old Pavilion.

At approximately the same time the covered seating at the Trafalgar Square end (the Enclosure) was built as was the seating on the Popular Bank.

The North Stand was built in 1926 and the post war boom in attendances saw record crowds at the Ground with well over 20,000 on some days.

The West Stand was erected in 1956 replacing a long low building which had been known as the Cow Sheds.

The Queen Hotel was demolished in the late 50’s and replaced by the Cricketers Pub which itself has now been demolished to make way for retirement apartments.

Over the years almost every famous cricketer that has ever lived has played in the Scarborough Festival either as an invited member of an MCC side, a Gentlemen’s side, a Players side or as part of visiting national touring side.

The two who stand out are W.G.Grace and Don Bradman.

Grace first played at Scarborough in 1870 at Castle Hill in a United South XI.

He has scored two centuries at the Festival, the first of them being remarkable in that he scored 174 out of a team total of 263 for the Gentleman’s XI of 1885. The Gentlemen went on to win this match which was the first Gentlemen v Players fixture at Scarborough and was played annually until 1962 when the distinction between Gentlemen and Players was removed from Cricket. In the Final match Ken Barrington scored a hundred and the Players won.

Don Bradman played in three Festivals, the first in 1930 on what was his first tour of England.

In a letter he wrote recalling that Festival he described the great honour he felt to have witnessed the last match that Wilfred Rhodes played before he retired from first class cricket.

The year he is best remembered for is 1934 when he scored 304 at Leeds in just one day. Later that season he was at Scarborough playing for the Australians against Levison- Gower’s XI. He came to the wicket about twenty minutes into the morning at 14 for 1 and was out stumped off Verity for 132 before lunch. 14,000 people were in the Ground to watch him.

He didn’t play in the 1938 Festival through injury and then the War intervened. He was next in Scarborough during his last tour in 1948 and as captain of Australia.

He scored 153 as his farewell innings and had the honour of being made a Life member of Yorkshire CCC.

Only three times in the History of Cricket at North Marine Road has a ball been hit out of the Ground, clean over the houses and into Trafalgar Square.

The three "big hitters" were:

• C.I. Thornton in 1875
• G.F. Wells-Cole in 1901
• C.G. Pepper in 1945

There are one or two conflicting stories about exactly where the ball crossed into the square in each case but it is generally accepted that all three did. Many others have claimed the feat but some have hit chimney pots and others gone through the gap.

In his biography Lord Hawke stated: At Scarborough I was in the field to the biggest hit I ever saw C.I.Thornton make. Buns helped himself to 107 runs in just over an hour. His mightiest slog was from the Pavilion end when he drove the ball straight over the screen, so high that it hit a chimney on the roof of one of the houses outside the ground.

This report was confirmed in a letter to the Scarborough Mercury published in 1921 from Fredrick Andrews who became Headmaster of the Quaker School at Ackworth and witnessed it as a Scarborough player on the field at the time.

G.F. Cole –Wells is the least well known of the three although his reputation was widespread around Lincolnshire. He played for Lincolnshire, MCC and I Zingari.

In August 1901 playing as a guest for Scarborough against Gentlemen of Yorkshire, he made 387 runs in four and a half hours. Included was the six into Trafalgar Square. The hit was witnessed by Harry Leadbetter, one of Scarborough’s best left-handed batsmen, who reported in a newspaper article that Wells-Cole made an on drive which rose six or seven feet over the house tops with a clear drop into the Square. Harry Leadbetter also witnessed the Thornton six and claimed the Wells-Cole six was higher and bigger.

The third of the big hitters is Ces Pepper, an Australian all-rounder who played for the Australian Services against Levison-Gowers XI in September 1945. In the match he scored 168 runs in the Services first innings and took six wickets over two innings as they won by an innings.

When the big hit came Eric Hollies was the bowler and Keith Miller was batting at the other end. According to Pepper Arthur Wood who was keeping wicket bet him a bottle of whisky that he could not hit one over the houses.

Since 1876, with only the exception of war years, there has been a Cricket Festival played at Scarborough at the end of the first class season.

2014 will see the 128th Festival and attendances in recent years, especially 2011, have been excellent. There is still the relaxed holiday feel around the ground, including the band, and players and spectators alike love to take part.

The seeds of the Scarborough Festival had been sown at Castle Hill. Many of the visitors to Victorian Scarborough were both wealthy and cricket lovers and matches at Castle Hill could attract crowds in excess of 2000.

In 1875 Lord Londesborough agreed to sponsor a match between MCC and Yorkshire. The MCC side was put together by C.I. (Charles Inglis) Thornton, an MCC member and a regular visitor to Scarborough. MCC were enthusiastic which is not surprising as Sir Charles Legard Bt. was the MCC President in 1875 and a good friend of Lord Londesborough.

The following year, 1876, when Lord Londesborough himself became MCC President, the Cricket programme at Scarborough was extended to nine days and the main match was again MCC v Yorkshire with MCC managed by C.I.Thornton. This was the first Scarborough Festival.

In 1898 the Scarborough Mercury recalled: It was Lord Londesborough who made the Scarborough Festival possible. He brought here for many years the Gentlemen players and at his own expense entertained them. Those he was unable to entertain at Londesborough Lodge he provided for in hotels and even went as far as keeping a house in The Crescent especially for the use of Cricketers

The Scarborough Cricket Club was founded in 1849 and the first recorded match was played on Castle Hill. Matches in the early years continued to be played on Castle Hill.

The Club was reconstituted in 1863 and the tenancy of a field on North Marine Road was obtained.

Matches have been played there since then and the Ground was purchased in 1878 at a cost of £3,500 from Mr John Woodall.

The first Scarborough Festival was held in 1876 when MCC beat Yorkshire by seven wickets and with the exception of the War years has continued to be an annual event, the 126th Festival will be held in 2012.

Ground Improvements 2011

The Funding Agreement with Welcome to Yorkshire continued in 2011 which enabled improvements to be made. These included air conditioning in the press box, new bar shutters, the replacement of the grey seats with white in the Trafalgar Square Enclosure, safety gates at the back of the West Stand, new catering equipment, new sightscreens, nets, sheets and practice equipment, new mower, top dresser and ground equipment as well as display cabinets and lighting equipment. Grateful thanks to Welcome to Yorkshire which enabled all these purchases to be made.

The most significant improvements however came with Tesco Community Project, when Tesco and its partners undertook a three month project which transformed and/or improved virtually every area of the ground. The major work was in the Pavilion which was totally gutted and then saw the creation of a new cellar area, the installation of a lift to all floors, the levelling of the Pavilion Lounge with a new bar and an additional exit to the Pavilion Enclosure, total refurbishment and redecoration, new carpets, curtains, tables and chairs throughout and the refurbishment of the toilets.

The Lean-to bar area was refitted, a new shop was built for major match days and the adjacent toilet block was demolished and rebuilt. The Tea Room returned to one large unit, redecorated and refurbished along with the creation of a new balcony area with tables and chairs. New bench seating was fitted on the Popular Bank and the best of the old wood used in the West Stand. All toilet blocks had varying amounts of work done in them. Both scoreboards have new fascia. The traditional railings were restored in the Pavilion enclosure.

See Also: Ground Development

Scarborough Cricket Club was founded in 1849 when the first cricket matches were played on Castle Hill; the ground today at North Marine Road, is second only in capacity cricket to the Test Match venues.

The Club runs seven teams, Under 11’s, under 13's and 2 Under 15’s in the Derwent Valley Junior League, the 3rd XI in the Beckett League, the 2nd XI in the York and District Senior League and the 1st XI in the Yorkshire ECB County Premier League.

When Scarborough are playing at home the Pavilion bar will be open at 12.30 for members and public alike; afternoon teas will be served. So come along, watch some cricket and relax.

North Marine Road hosts Yorkshire County Cricket Club for a number of four day and one day matches (including the Scarborough Cricket Festival  in the 128th year in 2014. 

Scarborough Cricket Club welcomes new cricket players of all ages. Our Club Cricket Manager Neil Elvidge  oversees all coaching and cricket development.

We aim to be a friendly club - the club of choice for all players who wish to reach their full potential.

There are several qualified coaches including Mark Welford who oversees the Juniors. Various Cricket Coaching Schemes include the Bill Foord Scheme for development of selected players.

We have a fantastic new 360° panorama. Please click the following link to view: